Sure it’s only February, but it sure feels like Spring already, so what better time to celebrate the announcement of the 2023 Fayetteville Dogwood Festival national acts and events.

The Festival will be held Thursday, April 27 through Sunday, April 30 in Downtown Fayetteville, and will be celebrating its 41st year of fun in the community. You can see the full schedule, plus all the returning and new attractions below.

Thursday night will feature the ticketed Cork & Fork kickoff event, but no other festivities will be open just yet.

On Friday night, April 28, things really get going, as The Big 95.7 KML is proud to present Country Night, featuring country hitmaker David Nail (more on him below) and rising star Ashland Craft. Nail had number 1 singles with “Let it Rain,” and “Whatever She’s Got,” but also had Top 10 smashes with “Red Light,” “Turning Home” and “I’m About to Come Alive.”

On Saturday night, April 29 rock takes center stage in Festival Park, with late 90s bands Lit and Buckcherry headlining the show. Lit is best known for their smash “My Own Worst Enemy,” while Buckcherry is best known for “Sorry” and “Crazy Bi*&h.”

Sunday, April 30, 107.7 JAMZ and 96.5 BOB FM are proud to present Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience, to cap off the final night of the festival.

Friday night, the opening ceremony starts things off at 6 p.m. on the Festival Park stage, as well as the KidZone, Midway of Carnival rides, plus food and other vendors. Ashland Craft will go on stage at 8 p.m., while David Nail is set for 9:45 p.m. The full schedule is below.

Saturday at noon, the full festival kicks off with the Downtown Street Fair, the Midway of Carnival rides, arts and crafts vendors, the KidZone, a BMX Bike Show, as well as local musical acts starting at 2 p.m. and going until 7:45 p.m., when Lit takes the stage, before Buckcherry at 9 p.m. The full schedule for Saturday night is below as well.

The Festival concludes Sunday, starting at noon, with a Car & Motorcycle Show, the Downtown Street Fair, the Midway of Carnival rides, and more anchored attractions, food and more, with Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience taking the stage at 7:30 p.m.

Here’s a closer look at some of the musicians and other fun activities on tap for the 2023 Fayetteville Dogwood Festival:

• Festival Hours - Friday, April 28

  

  David Nail headlines Friday night’s Country Night presented by The Big 95.7 KML.

  5:00 PM – 11:00 PM

  To feature select sponsors, food vendors, Festival Park entertainment, KidZone and Midway.

  Festival Park Stage Schedule

  6:00 PM Opening Ceremony

  6:30 PM Local Act

  8:00 PM ASHLAND CRAFT

  9:45 PM DAVID NAIL

• Festival Hours - Saturday, April 29

  

  Lit is one of the national acts playing on Saturday night.

  12:00 PM – 11:00 PM

  Friday’s activities will continue with an expansion into Downtown Fayetteville.

  Festival Park Stage Schedule

  2:00 PM Local Act

  4:00 PM Local Act

  6:00 PM Local Act

  7:45 PM LIT

  9:00 PM BUCKCHERRY

• Festival Hours - Saturday, April 30

  

  12:00 PM – 9:00 PM

  All activities will continue with the addition of the Car, Motorcycle, and Truck Show.

  Festival Park Stage Schedule

  2:30 PM Local Act

  3:45 PM Local Act

  5:30 PM Local Act

  7:30 PM WHO’S BAD – THE ULTIMATE MICHAEL JACKSON EXPERIENCE

• Festival Map

  

• Best Seats in the House

  

  The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival offers a LIMITED amount of front row seating for the headlining concerts. Go ahead and purchase your ticket for Best Seats in the House today for $25! Tickets can be purchased online at www.thedogwoodfestival.com.

• New Activities

  

• New Addition: Axes and Armor Hatchet House

  

  How good is your throw? Come find out at Axes and Armor Hatchet House’s mobile axe throwing trailer. This FREE attraction will be located on Gillespie Street and open during on Saturday and Sunday between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

• New Addition: Downtown DJ

  

  How low can you go?? Show off your limbo skills with the Downtown DJ on Gillespie Street. This is perfect opportunity for the adults to take a break from roaming the festival while the bigs and littles engage in interactive musical games and dances.

• New Addition: The Climbing Place

  

  Come climb with The Climbing Place at the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival! This FREE attraction will be located on Gillespie Street for festival patrons to climb throughout the festival.

• Returning Traditions

  

• Airborn Aerials

  

  The Airborn Aerial entertainers will perform acrobatic performances on Saturday near the Festival Park Plaza Food Court.

• BMX Stunt Show

  

  BMX Stunt Shows will be available on Hay Street, between City Hall and the Hotel Prince Charles, on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30. This is a show that will keep you on the edge of your seat so this is an opportunity you will not want to miss!

• Cork & Fork: A Premier Food and Wine Event

  

  The 5th Annual Cork & Fork – a premier food & wine event will kick-off the festival on Thursday, April 27 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Each year we partner with a non-profit organization to host a gourmet sip & taste event in Festival Park. Tickets can be purchase at thedogwoodfestival.com.

• Car, Motorcycle, & Truck Show

  

  Come on out and show your ride on Sunday, April 30 at one of our oldest traditions – the Car, Motorcycle, and Truck Show! This year, the show will take place in Market Square, on Person Street, and on Green Street. Registration is open at thedogwoodfestival.com.

• KidZone

  

  KidZone by Carolina Fun Factory has a variety of games and activities the littles will enjoy. KidZone will be open all weekend during festival hours and close at 9:00 PM Friday and Saturday and 8:00 PM on Sunday.

• Midway

  

  Thrillers or a slow ride? The Midway has it all. This attraction will be open during festival hours and is located on the corner of Mason Street and Ray Avenue.

• Performance Area

  

  Festival patrons will have an opportunity to view a variety of local performers in the Performance Area during the Street Fair on Saturday and Sunday. Applications to perform in this area are open at thedogwoodfestival.com. This area is led by Debbie Pernat Belles and Shadow of the Fire, a local bellydancing group.

• Ring wars carolina

  

  Ring Wars Carolina is returning! Ring Wars Carolina will host a wrestling tournament at the intersection of Ray Avenue and Hay Street. Festival patrons will be able to cheer on their favorite wrestler on Saturday and Sunday. 

• Street Fair

  

  Take a stroll down Hay Street on Saturday and Sunday and visit the variety of vendors and sponsors. You will surely will find several cool nicknacks to enjoy!

• Friday Night Country Artists

  

• Ashland Craft

  ASHLAND CRAFT is among CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2021 and Pandora’s Country Artists to Watch 2021, American Songwriter claims, “there’s a new country badass in town, and her name is Ashland Craft,” also praising, “this girl has star quality flying out of her boots.” Featured on HARDY’s HIXTAPE: Vol. 2 with Brothers Osborne on “I Smoke Weed,” CMT’s “‘can’t miss’ country star on the rise” opened for Ashley McBryde’s THIS TOWN TALKS TOUR in 2022, adding to her résumé alongside previous supporting slots opening for Zac Brown Band, Luke Combs, and Morgan Wallen. Discovering her honky-tonk spirit while cutting her teeth at bars in her South Carolina hometown, Craft buzzes under the influence of musical heroes Def Leppard, Chris Stapleton, Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, and Sheryl Crow.

• David Nail

  David Nail had a wild string of success in the past 20 years in country music. With two No. 1 hits on his resume, and a string of others you’d be surprised didn’t top the charts. “Whatever She’s Got,” “Let it Rain,” “Red Light,” “The Sound of a Million Dreams,” and so many more songs helped cement David’s place as a star.

• Saturday Night Rock Artists

  

• Lit

  It would be virtually impossible to not at least be AWARE of Lit’s massive hit song “My Own Worst Enemy,” but for those in the rock scene, there are plenty of other big hits to choose from.

• Buckcherry

  Two of the biggest hits on rock radio in 2006 and 2007 came from Buckcherry. “Sorry,” featured in the video above, had large crossover chart appeal. And then the song that’s gone 4x Platinum for the band… “Crazy Bit*h.” It’s an impossibly catchy earworm.

• Sunday Night's Tribute Band

  

• Who's Bad: The Michael Jackson Experience

  Heralded by many as the top Michael Jackson tribute band out there, this is a musical experience you won’t want to miss.

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